This invention relates generally vests with armor plates and, more particularly, to a quick release system for releasing the armor plates from the vest when necessary.
Ballistic resistant vests often use two or more types of different material to reduce the possibility of injury to the user. For example, some vests use layers or panels of Kevlar® fabric to resist shrapnel and/or some handgun bullets. Other vests use Kevlar fabric in conjunction with auxiliary armor plates to provide more protection to the user. Some armor plates are neutrally buoyant, however, other armor plates, such as ceramic armor plates, are not neutrally buoyant. Some ceramic armor plates that are intended to resist some rifle bullets may weigh from about seven pounds to about nine pounds each. It is common for troops in combat situations to wear a front auxiliary armor plate and a rear auxiliary armor plate which may add considerable weight to the user, depending on the type of armor plate.
The increased weight of non-buoyant armor plates makes it difficult for a soldier or other user of a ballistic resistant vest to swim if they unintentionally fall in the water. In prior art devices, quick release systems have required the user to pull a first release handle connected to a first cable to release the front auxiliary armor plate, and to locate and pull a second release handle connected to a second cable located at the rear of the vest to release the rear auxiliary armor plate. In times of high stress, finding the second release handle has been problematic and time consuming in this prior art device, sometimes called the DAP vest. The release handle in the DAP vest was located proximate the lower edge of the armor plate and a retention cord was also connected to the cable so the cable would not be lost when the release handle was pulled. Photos of the front torso section of the DAP prior art vest are included in an Information Disclosure Statement filed with the present application. In the industry, the interior of a vest is often referred to as the “body” side and is intended to face the body of the user; the opposite side will be referred to as the “impact” side for purposes of this application. In the prior art DAP vest, the cable was located on the impact side of the vest, whereas, in the present invention, a substantial portion of the cable is located on the body side of the vest.